Quincy University students who avoid gluten now have a new place to go for a safer and reliable meal. The Café recently introduced a dedicated gluten-free station, that contains everything from waffles, bagels, muffins, to cereal.

Joseph Bordewick who is the Director of Dining Services, said the addition is part of a larger effort to meet students’ dietary needs.

“The avoiding gluten diet has become more and more common over the years. And so we’ve tried to always adapt our program based on that,” Bordewick said.

The gluten-free station is designed to give students more convenience and a dining experience closer to what their fellow students enjoy. Trained staff are trying to keep cross-contact of gluten from happening in the pantry area.

“Still the most important thing for somebody that is avoiding gluten or has any special diet on campus is that they need to come and meet with me at some point because we like to be able to learn who they are and really understand their needs and then be able to make sure that they really understand how we can best help them,” Bordewick said.

Abby Koonce, a QU student with a gluten allergy, said the station has transformed her dining experience.

“I love having gluten-free options on campus. I think overall it adds like a more variety of what I can eat. They have a ton of new foods like bagels, muffins, waffles, bread, and it really just helps me to feel included into what everyone else can also eat for their daily meals,” Koonce said.

Before the station opened, Koonce often found herself with limited choices.

“There were a couple of challenges when eating. Mainly, I ate a ton of salads, really, just to make sure I was getting enough nutrition in my body, but I’d go over and there’d be fried foods or some other foods that I couldn’t eat, so that kind of just put a challenge on me, knowing that it was in the same fryer, so things could be cross-contaminated,” Koonce said.

Now, with the addition of the gluten-free station, Koonce feels she has more freedom in her daily meals.

“I think having this new area for gluten-free food really just helps to include me in with other people’s daily life, so I no longer have to go off and not eat a certain thing while everyone else does, because I can go make my own gluten-free version,” Koonce said.

Another student, Daniella Segall, who is also gluten allergic, is saying that the new station helps gluten-free students feel recognized.

“I think it’s an extremely useful outlet It makes us feel seen, because gluten-free food is extremely expensive. Having a space where we know we’ll have safe options is really helpful. It’s a good starting point, and I’m very happy for the gluten-free community,” Segall said.

For students like Koonce and Seagall, the change is already making a difference not just in what’s on their plates, but in how included they feel at QU.